Demon Beats
by The Souless Void
Summary: Death was the last thing on his mind when he died, he did not care for it. All he could think about was the failures in his life, never finding love, having a family... Now what is he supposed to do in a world that he was never supposed to wake up in?


Disclaimer!

I Do Not Own Naruto, Angel Beats, or any other anime/manga/joke I make reference too! They all belong to their respective owners!

Hey guys, most of my stories that I am uploading are just intros, I will continue all of them, and I will never abandon a fic. Please, if you do want to continue or write your own variation, message me!

"Talking!" ~ Normal speech.

'_Thinking' ~ Thoughts and introspective actions._

"_Whispers…" ~ Whispering and different styles of introspective speech._

"**Summons/Powered Up" ~ Summons, Bijuu, powerful speeches.**

Warning! This story will have a slow build up, this is an **AU! Alternate Universe****,** I will not follow the storyline/canon 100% and there will be MAJOR differences.

I probably need to get a beta… All helpful comments/reviews will be taken into account! Thanks!

Alright, Third off,

Demon Beats

White. That was the first thought that ran through his mind. An endless expanse of the proverbial color grated against his eyes. It wasn't bright per say, but staring at the same thing no matter where he looked hurt. Where was he?

How did he get here?

Why was he here?

_What_ was here?

"Hello?" His voice was surprisingly masculine, or was it surprising? He didn't know. Was his voice always like that? Or maybe it was something new. He didn't know. "Anyone there?" He could hear his voice echo throughout the vast silence. Each reverbing sound bringing him closer to a realization.

He was completely, one hundred percent, unmistakably…

Lost.

Crap.

He didn't know to panic or to laugh. He decided that both was about as good as an option he had. That is until he finally realized something.

He was falling.

Fast.

His eyes widened, his heartbeat quickened and each pulse felt like a hammer blow. He twisted his body as hard as he could, forcing himself to look down, at least he thought it was down, as he _was_ falling in that direction.

Again, only an endless expanse of white greeted him.

He squinted, trying to lessen the amount the air whipping at his eyes. He blinked a few tears away as the leaked out and growled. He didn't know when he would hit the ground, or even if he _would_ hit the ground… but he knew one thing for sure…

This _white was ANNOYING._

He really did not know how this came to be… One second he was fighting in the war, and the next? He is falling down a proverbial endless pit of white. He would have preferred orange if he had to of fallen into a endless hole.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember exactly what happened…

_Flashback no Jutsu! End of the 4__th__ Shinobi War!_

Mandara couldn't believe it. He refused to admit his defeat to this… This child! He did not care that all his allies had already fallen to this kid.

Obito, cut in half. Vertically.

Sasuke, a broken neck and a gaping hole where his heart was.

Kabutomaru, existence utterly erased from the planet via a Bijuudama.

Obito's six paths, eyes gouged out, piercings crushed into dust.

Zetsu and his clones, burned in an unholy fire that swathed threw them within seconds.

The revived ninja, all put to rest in various forms of destruction.

But, _He Did Not Care!_ He would not be… be defeated by this… this… He didn't even know any sort of derogatory term he could call him anymore!

"It's over." A calm voice echoed throughout the clearing. If you could call it that. Mandara stood in the middle of a vast crater, fires burning periodically throughout the arena, smaller craters and boulders littering the surface. He himself stood there, his long black hair, spiked up in its natural style. His clothes were in taters, barely holding together as it was. His once shiny armor now scuffed and destroyed beyond visibility.

Mandara seethed at the child in front of him, this child ruined _everything._ He was seconds away from taking the fabled Juubi of legend into his own body, to become a Jinchuuriki of the strongest demon alive!

Or he would be, if it wasn't for that meddling kid!

Just seconds and the seal would have finished sealing the beast into him. He never expected to be foiled by the most basic of Jutsu ever. Him! The greatest Shinobi alive!

Beaten by a simple substitution. Kawarimi no Jutsu. And it was _over. _Every plan, every contingency plan, and every contingency plan for his contingency plans! Gone! Blown to smithereens by this child!

He glared at his most hated enemy, beating that over even Hirashima.

Naruto Uzumaki, former container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Container of the Juubi.

His arch nemesis. His hated enemy.

His eternal rival.

"_Youth!" _A loud cry echoed throughout the silent crater.

…

Naruto did not consider himself much anymore. He wasn't able to keep his promises, he wasn't able to protect those he loved, and he wasn't able to complete his dreams.

He was a broken man walking.

A failure.

But he knew one thing must happen before he finally decides to quit. To give up.

Mandara must die.

Naruto stood there, staring at the ragged face of his enemy. He ignored the multiple wounds spouting blood across his torso and arms. He ignored the flares of pains when he breathed. He ignored it all and just watched languidly as his enemy seethed in anger.

He knew he wouldn't live much longer, but he knew he wouldn't die before Mandara. That was one promise he would keep.

Promises… They were his cornerstone, his everything, his Nindo. And he couldn't even keep them.

He was worthless.

Everyone who died, died because of him. Because he wasn't strong enough, fast enough, smart enough.

He wasn't enough.

He couldn't help but remember all the promises he made, those he kept, and those he failed.

"_I'll bring him back! Don't worry Sakura! I promise!"_

He was a fool to think he could bring Sasuke back.

"_I will always protect my precious people! Because that is my Nindo! My ninja way!"_

Not much of a Nindo if he couldn't keep it.

"_I will never let you win! Even if I have to become a demon myself! I promise on my Nindo that You. Will. __**Fail!**__"_

In the end, it wasn't just Mandara that failed. He could attest to that.

"_Just believe in me, I'll end this war in a flash. Because no one should have to die for my sake. It's my job to die for them. I'm a Jinchuuriki, a human sacrifice."_

How many died for him? Ten thousand? Tens of thousands?

"_I'll help you Kurama, you and all your brothers and sisters!"_

A ghostly chuckle escaped his lips, in the end, he might have freed Kurama, but it was an useless endeavor on his part. He couldn't stop Mandara from capturing the newly freed Bijuu.

"_I promise you Ero-Sennin… I promise on your grave that I will stop this useless cycle. This endless cycle of hatred. You called me the Child of Prophecy, and I will do it."_

'_Child of prophecy, huh? I think it's about time that I cash in that last promise."_

"It's over." His voice was toneless, utterly calmness washing over him.

He knew this was it, everything that everybody fought for, died for.

It all would end here. With Mandara.

With him.

He would take upon the sins of all the Ninja, he would bear their burden.

After all, what kind of Sacrifice would he be if he didn't take people's sins away?

"It's not over until you are dead, boy!" He heard Mandara scream out, his voice hoarse from the fight. "I will not stop until you are dead, and everybody you loved is right next to you! I will not stop until I control EVERYTHING!"

Naruto sighed, every bad guy he ever faced ended up with the same thing. Killing him, his friends, family, etc. But it always ended the same, Naruto whooping them, them groveling for forgiveness, and Naruto whooping them some more.

"_I guess it's time to break that cycle too..."_ Naruto whispered to himself, glancing down and letting his hair cast a shadow over his eyes. A small smirk slowly formed on his face. _"It's time to break that cycle. Are you watching me Ero-Sennin? Baa-chan? Kaa-san? Tou-san? I guess we will be meeting each other sooner that we thought…"_

He took a deep breath, and let the energy of the world envelope him in the familiar feeling of oneness.

He opened his eyes, once bright and blue like an ocean, now colored yellow with a horizontal bar striking through as his pupil. Orange and red coloring surrounded his eyes.

Sage mode.

"I will not fall before you are dead, Mandara." His calm voice enraging his opponent further.

What can he say? War and watching all he loved get torn away? It changed him.

For better or for worse, he did not know.

"You will fall today. Everything you ever did, will be insignificant." A golden aurora started to form, acting as if a second skin grew. Black lines spread out from his stomach in a design almost like tribal tattoos that only he knew perfectly.

"**You. Have. Failed."** His voice reverberated with unimaginable amounts of power.

He disappeared.

…

Mandara couldn't believe it. One second he was about to seal the Juubi, the next? He was watching as it was sealed into Naruto. And now? Said boy was saying that he was not strong enough to beat him?! Mandara not strong enough to beat a Eighteen Year old _Boy?!_

"Foolish child! I am Uchiha Mandara! I am eternal! I have beaten legends that would make you cry in fear! I am great! I am almighty! I am GO-"

He would have continued if it was not for the fist the connected with his lower jaw, shattering it into shards of bone.

"**You speak too much."** Naruto's voice whispered into his ear.

Another crack and Mandara was launched away from Naruto again. This time a large bruise formed over his spinal column.

Naruto sped forward, the ground cracking away with each step, shattering boulders and anything near where his foot touched.

He appeared next to Mandara and threw his foot out in a arcing kick, aimed right at the back of Mandara's head. Mandara himself threw up his hands in an "x" formation, blocking the attack and releasing a loud boom throughout the crater. Dust kicked up from the shockwaves released from the contact blocking the fighters for all but a second.

The dust was scattered the next second as another attack as blocked, this time Naruto's knee coming up to stop Mandara's shin from connecting with his side. Naruto threw out a palm strike aimed at his enemy's chest, smirking as he felt contact.

Mandara flew away again, blood flowing from his mouth in waves. At least, before he faded away. Appearing behind the Jinchuuriki, he thrust a fist into the back on Naruto's head, launching him this time. He rushed after his intended target, drawing a kunai on the way.

"Fool! You will never beat me!" He cried out, confident in his impending victory.

That was until the Naruto in front of him dispersed into smoke, and a blinding pain protruded from his side. Looking down he saw the perpetrator, a three pronged Kunai dug into his ribs.

"Shi-" He couldn't finish his swear before a yellow flash appeared next to him, grinding a blue ball into his chest. He was launched away for the God knows many times this fight. Another flash, a kick, flash, a punch to the jaw, flash, a kunai to the stomach.

This continued for what seemed to be an eternity, hundreds of blows wrecking his body.

One second pasted by.

"Enough!" A large skeletal body shot out from his own body, stopping the rain of blows instantly. He swung his hand at Naruto, intent on smacking him into oblivion with his new skeletal frame. "Susanoo!" He screamed it to the heavens, intent on destroying the blond in front of him with sound alone.

"Die boy!" The skeletal arms of Susanoo rained blow after blow toward the boy, each strike hitting the ground and causing fissures to erupt. Naruto himself was just watching as each blow came within inches, only to turn his body out of the way at the last second.

An overhead swing, Naruto turned his body to the left, a horizontal slash coming at his neck, a small duck, a diagonal cut, lean slightly to the left.

It was as if there was a mutual dance going on, the giant skeleton leading them. For every movement produced by the megalomaniac Uchiha, Naruto gracefully tilted his body. Every step in tandem. A dance of death.

Nether knew exactly how long they fought, every blow rained upon the other just as taxing as the movement was. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours? They didn't know. Every ounce of attention was focused on their opponent.

Neither noticed how more and more Ninja gathered on the edges of the crater, watching as the final battle for the world rocked it. More and more, thousands appeared, all watching as one man stood against a self-proclaimed god.

The Kages were the last to arrive.

Naruto knew he couldn't keep it up much longer; the poisonous youki from the Juubi was much more potent than Kurama's. He could feel every breath leave his lungs, taking a bit of his life force away with every muscle contortion. He knew he had to end it now.

He jumped back and whipped his bloody hand down the opposite arm. A blood smear followed its path

Suddenly, his arm glowed. A bright yellow light lit up beneath the bloody splatter.

A small scroll appeared in his hand, which with just a flick, opened it. The scroll was much larger than Mandara thought, as he watched what seemed to be hundreds of feet of paper with black marks unroll.

A sealing scroll?

"And what do you think you can do with that boy? I have seen all your tricks! Susanoo will defeat them all!" Mandara was slowly becoming more deranged, the mental damage of having his entire world crushed by the simplest of Jutsu was too much.

"Not all of them you old coot…" the words seemed like a whisper to him, but all who were watching could hear the simple phrase. "Not all of them…"

The scroll glowed a brilliant shade of yellow, blinding all those who were watching.

The rest of the Shinobi forces did not know what to do. They tried to keep Naruto and Bee on the island to protect them, to stop the Akatsuki from ever having a chance of capturing them.

Now? Bee was dead, and Naruto was the last thing standing between them, and the god-like powers of Mandara.

The Kage's looked at the child… no man, in front of them. Doing what they could not. A genin, a Jinchuuriki, a seventeen year old boy.

Fighting against the one being who none of them could touch.

A bright light shown from the war-torn battlefield in front of them, blinding them and the rest of the forces for a few seconds.

The glow started to settle, and the few that dared to gaze upon the two behemoths gasped.

Thousands upon thousands of seals floated around the two men in the crater. Each one written with complex swirls and Kanji that few could read, let alone interpret.

Mandara himself could not begin to understand what was in front of him. He voiced his confusion, trying to mask his trepidation at the sight.

"What are you doing boy?!"

Naruto debated answering him, or ending it. He took a quick glance at the edges of the crater, gazing at the multitude of Ninja staring in amazement. He knew what he needed to do.

"My father was known as the fastest Shinobi in the world. Not just do to his amazing speed, but do to the one technique that could slaughter thousands in seconds…

"He called it Hiraishin."

A small murmur ran through the gathered forces, confusion evident as to why Naruto was talking about his father and his techniques.

"He was able to bend space and to appear next to the seals he drew. Instantaneously being at hundreds of different places. Each seal allowed for the user to teleport next to them. They were the beacons. The ultimate technique; that much was agreed upon."

Silence grew from all sides, each person wanting to know exactly what the flowing seals had to do with this history lesson.

"But… just like his Rasengan…" he paused here, remembering all the time he spent on that Jutsu, "It was incomplete."

Startled gasps rang throughout the clearing, one even escaping Mandara's throat.

"Don't you lie boy! Even I know how strong that technique is! There is no way that he left it unfinished!" Mandara shouted with a confident voice, ignoring that feeling of doubt that crept into his chest.

"My father had one fatal flaw in that technique. One flaw that would allow for any Shinobi worth their salt to defend against it." More murmurs ran through the crowd, this time a bit more angry sounding.

"He had to write the seals on a kunai."

Mandara couldn't see anything wrong with that, a kunai was a tool to help the technique. How could that be a flaw? "And what does that have to do with this… this _'Fatal Flaw' _boy?"

Naruto could only shake his head, a small sigh echoing from his mouth. "What happens if you throw the Kunai away from you?"

Shocked silence reigned supreme over all the Ninja present. No one knew how to respond to that simple statement.

Iwa was the most shocked out of all. Throw the Kunai and live…

"But, even father did not see that flaw. He saw only the pro's when using it, as no one could have spotted that fact. After all, no one lived to tell him about it when he used it. But I saw it… I saw it the very second I first used the technique! The restrictions of teleporting right next to the seal on the Kunai!" Naruto's voice grew louder and louder, more and more emotion seeping into his voice as he explained his technique.

"I decided at that moment, the very first time I successfully used this technique, I would do what no other person was able to do…" his voice trailed off as he stared at his clenched fists.

"I would erase the need of the Kunai."

Shocked. That was the lone word that described all those present. No one thought that was even conceivable.

Mandara refused to accept it. "That is not possible boy! That seal, as you said, is the beacon that lets your moved there! If there is no beacon, you cannot move!" Fear was creeping into his voice. He knew that if Naruto was able to do so…

"It's simple, Mandara." Naruto's voice cut through the shocked silence. "I made myself the seal."

The seals that were previously floating around lethargically started to speed up, spinning around Naruto faster and faster. They moved like blurs, their glowing symbols shining brighter and brighter. They became almost invisible with how fast they were moving. Mandara, even with his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan could not follow them.

Mandara knew he needed to act fast. He sprinted as fast as he could toward Naruto, a literal blur of motion. His hands moving through seals, most likely to a complex Jutsu that would annihilate Naruto. He was close, so close, by passing the swirling seals as if they were a mist.

And then they stopped.

"It's over."

The seals converged upon Naruto and Mandara. By passing Mandara and forming on Naruto.

Mandara froze. Not a single movement, no hair jostling from the wind, no chest rising and falling from his breathing, no blood movement as it stopped pouring from his wounds.

And then he started to blur.

His form became more and more hazy, slowly dispersing into the wind as if he became part of it.

Naruto smiled, and uttered a small phrase before Mandara completely disappeared.

"But my technique doesn't bend just space… I bend space and _**time**_."

Mandara disappeared completely. No trace was left of his previous existence.

Silence rang loudly throughout the gather Ninja.

A small question rang out from a random Kunoichi, "Is it over…?"

That was the catalyst to an eruption of cheers, shouts, and all over jubilation. Shinobi ran about, grabbing their friends and laughing. Kunoichi cried as they finally realized that it was over. Sounds of happiness, gladness. They had won.

The Kages couldn't help but sag their shoulders in relief.

Naruto did not move, only gazing at the spot previously occupied by Mandara. He did not move nor take any notice of the sounds around him.

His Bijuu cloak slowly started to dissipate. Leaving him standing there in his tattered clothes. A small, weak grin started to form on his face.

"_It's over… I did it." _He whispered.

Blood leaked from his lips, his hands dropping to his sides. A bitter chuckle escaped his lips.

"_And now… the consequences."_

Pain. That was all he could feel in his body. Every cell felt as if it was dipped in molten lava and then cooled off by liquid nitrogen. But he didn't make a sound.

He couldn't. After all, it was his turn to follow Mandara into the Time Stream.

The gathered Ninja's slowly started to understand that something was wrong. Their cheers slowly becoming quieter and quieter. A low voice echoed out from the new profound silence.

"…Naruto?"

That one word, a name that was forgotten amidst their joy. The owner of said name didn't even react to the word. He could only slowly bring his head up.

The gathered forces could only widen their eyes at the amount of blood leaking from his mouth.

Naruto grinned, ignoring the amount of blood spilling form between his lips. His shakily moved his right hand up. He clenched his hand into a fist and turned it to the right, facing his pinky to the ground. He raised his thumb up as much as he could.

"I'm sorry minna…" His voice was weak, extremely so. No one could believe what was happening. "But it's all up to you guys now…" A few ninja's started to run towards him, a vain effort to catch his now falling body.

Odd… he didn't even notice he was falling.

"I… have to follow him… now… so I can't… end the cycle…" He closed his eyes, his hand dropping to his side again.

"Goodbye minna… I am happy to have met all of you." He closed his eyes, not hearing any of the shouts directed at him. "But… what kind of Human sacrifice would I be if I let any of you die for me?"

He could feel it; the cold hand of death was grabbing ahold of him. He welcomed it. It was finished. He did it.

…

"Naruto!" That was the collected voice of many ninja. No one could believe it. He couldn't have! He just beat the strongest ninja alive! A proclaimed god amongst men!

He couldn't have…

"Naruto!" Sakura couldn't get there fast enough, her heart pounding and threatening to burst through her chest. She skid to a stop next to his prone body, trying to vainly shake him awake. To get him to jump up and smile. To not leave her, not like Sasuke!

The rest of the Rookie Eleven were the next to arrive next to her. Each one trying to deny the feeling of agony that erupted in their hearts. Naruto couldn't have… He was the dead-last! The most unpredictable Shinobi alive! The strongest ninja to have been born!

He couldn't be gone.

"Naruto! Wake up damnit!" Kiba couldn't believe that Naruto died, he was too damn stubborn to die!

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata refused to believe it! She never got to tell him everything! She couldn't have lost him!

"Naruto…" Shino's voice was cracked with emotion, more than even he thought was possible.

"Naru…to…" Ino couldn't believe that Naruto would be the one to die in the war. She could barely believe Sasuke had!

"Troublesome blonde…" Shikamaru couldn't stop the tears that rolled down his face, not that he even tried to stop them.

"Naruto…" Choji couldn't even feel the normal buzz of his stomach, in fact he felt ill. Like he could never eat another bite.

"Naruto?" Tenten did not know what to feel, she may have never talked to the blond… but he did so much for her and Neji that she didn't know what she should feel.

Neji didn't say a word as he stared at the unmoving Jinchuuriki, no emotions showed on his face. A blank stare.

"Naruto-kun!" Lee knew it was too good to be true, that everyone survived the final battle. He just never thought it would be Naruto to die.

The Kages weren't able to stop their tears.

Gaara looked like he had lost everything he ever cherished. His best friend, the one person that understood him more than anything had just died.

Mei and A couldn't take their eyes off of Naruto. The amount of trouble the world went through to keep him alive… and yet here he was, fighting the entire war for them. Ending it in a matter of weeks when he joined. The amount of lives he saved…

And now he was gone. Dead.

Tears ran rampant down most, if not all of the shinobi present. Even those that did not know the blond cried. After all, if he wasn't here, it was more than likely they would have died in this battle.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Naruto's form started to blur. Just like Mandara's had just minutes ago.

A few seals started to glow on his skin, the same one's that floated through the air before the end.

It started to rain, as if the god's themselves were afraid of what was happening.

His form was now disappearing. Mandara's fate was repeating itself on the boy in front of them.

No matter for their pleas for it to stop, no one could do anything but watch as the blond slowly disappeared. More and more vanishing each second.

Soon, only his head remained.

And only one thing remained unblurred.

The smile that he wore when he watched Mandara die.

The smile that he wore when he won the battle.

The smile that he wore when he achieved his promise.

The smile on his face that he died with.

…

_Flashback no Jutsu! Kai!_

"**It's your fault you know."** The booming voice cut his memory off.

'_Juubi?'_ His thoughts echoed loudly.

Odd, he couldn't hear the wind whipping past his ears.

"**If you never used that Jutsu, we wouldn't be in this mess."** The voiced, now known as the Juubi, continued unimpeded by the question. **"We wouldn't be hurdling through the Space Time Continuum if you did not tamper with that technique. Trying to control time and space at the same time? I don't know if you are a fool, or the damnedest genius I have ever met."**

'_I know… but I had to keep at least one of my last promises… It doesn't matter what happens to me. I saved everyone, that is all that matters. If I die, I die. At least then I will be able to see everyone again…' _Naruto's thoughts trailed off.

A booming laughter echoed throughout his head. **"Hahaha boy! Do you even know what you did? You sent us to another **_**Dimension**_** boy! Your afterlife? That is that dimensions afterlife! Haha boy! You will **_**NEVER SEEN YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AGAIN YOU DAMNED FOOL!"**_The voice was obviously angry. **"You sent us to another **_**damned dimension's afterlife! **_**Now neither of us has any idea where we will end up! For all I know, the next afterlife could be filled with demons stronger than me! And those could be cannon fodder!"**

Naruto didn't even flinch. His mind too focused on the fact that he will never see his loved ones again. Everything he did, everything he sacrificed, all for him to receive the prize of not even getting a calm afterlife with all those he loved.

He couldn't even get the sweet bliss of seeing his mother and father again, nor Ero-Sennin, Baa-chan, Jiji. No one.

He was alone again. With no one but the demon in his gut.

"**You are a damned fool boy…" **The voice trailed off.** "But even I have to respect what you did. Not even I could do something like that."** Naruto would have sworn he could detect a small amount of pride coming from the demon in his gut.

'_Well… I was always the most unpredictable ninja.' _Naruto gave a little smile at that, remembering how Kakashi called him that during the mission to wave. _'But… even if I am unable to enjoy my afterlife… At least everyone can enjoy their life now.'_ A lone tear escaped from his closed eyes.

Closed eyes that never saw the tear drop a few inches and form a ripple in the white space before him.

Closed eyes that never noticed the white change into a gray pavement.

Closed eyes that never saw the shocked visage of a purplish pinked haired girl.

Closed eyes that never saw the inevitable clash.

But boy, did he _feel_ it.

…

Oh man! I havn't actually sat down a wrote in a week! Been sooooooo friggen busy with work and school! But fear not my reader(s)! I shall try to continue updating all my stories! (And I keep getting new ones that I am writing down to put up on my profile!)

Thanks to everyone who reads this. Again, I will thank you!

Also, if you haven't seen _Angel Beats,_ I suggest you go watch the anime. It is so beautiful.

Thanks everyone for reading my story! But now I am tired, and am going to bed. Got a big speech tomorrow for my school! Whoooohooooo! Giving it on Langston Hughes too! He was a fun poet to read and learn more about.

Any questions? Feel free to pm me, I'll reply with due haste!

I'm ranting. Bedtime. Now.

When you see the void, you already lost your soul. Now gtfo.

The Souless Void.


End file.
